A new coffee shop has opened in a town where, unusually on the high street, cafes are scarce. The Waiting Room is serving breakfast, snacks and cakes - as well as coffee supplied by Nottingham roasters 200 Degrees.

Owners Jayne Sissons and her husband Gary renovated a former HSBC bank in Victoria Road, which had stood empty for three years, doing most of the work themselves to turn into in a spacious industrial-style spot for a drink and a bite to eat.

A stone's throw from Carlton railway station, The Waiting Room seemed the obvious name for a place where customers could while away the time with a chilled out cuppa before catching a train or at any time.

It hasn't been open a week, but on Saturday, the first day it was "rammed," said Jayne.

Opening at 7.30am on week days (and later at the weekends), customers can have full English with two sausages, two bacon, egg, black pudding, mushroom and beans or tomato with chunky toast. There's a skinny version too with lean bacon, minus the sausage and black pudding.

'Gypsie' toast is also on the menu - and if you're puzzling over what it is, it's another name for eggy bread aka French toast - along with toast and breakfast rolls.

Breakfast is served until 11am, when the lunch menu takes over with home-made hot food such as bolognese, BBQ pulled chicken, chilli, and jacket potatoes with a variety of toppings, plus pasta salad and cobs.

Jayne uses low-fat steak mince for a healthier spin from Netherfield butcher Robin Tuxford, who also supplies the sausages and bacon for breakfast.

"We are trying to keep everything local and support each other," said Jayne, whose bread comes from a bakery in Colwick.

Jayne previously worked as a cleaner in homes where tenants had been evicted but she also catered for family and friends' parties.

"I always wanted to do something like this. There is nothing we've seen around here like this where you can get a fresh coffee and teas in a nice environment."

As a novice, nothing is set in stone at the moment and it's a case of trial and error.

"The menu has changed since Saturday because it's a matter of getting to know what people want and what sells and what doesn't," added Jayne.

Vegan curry bombed over the weekend but one of the best-selling items that definitely won't be removed from the menu is the home-made scones from baker/barista Abbii Green, who is also responsible for the lemon drizzle cake and chocolate brownies on sale the day we visit.

The variety of cakes will rotate and some days there will be vegan and gluten-free bakes. Dairy-free cheese on jacket potato is a vegan option - whether more are added depends on demand.

For customers who don't have time to wait in The Waiting Room, there's a handy takeaway option.

The 30-seater cafe has a mixture of window stools, wooden tables and chairs for twosomes or bigger groups, and Chesterfield sofas and coffee tables. A large screen TV plays old black and white Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton movies.

Jayne said: "There are a lot of retirement living complexes around here so it's nice for someone who is elderly or lonely to pop in. It's quite a nice atmosphere in here and we've had quite a lot of young families in."

The Carlton couple have both quit their previous jobs to run the coffee shop full-time. Working alongside them as manager is their 22-year-old daughter Seren Smalley, whose previous jobs were McDonald's manager and a call centre worker.

The Waiting Room is currently open 7.30am to 4pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm, and 9am to 2pm Sunday but will be reviewed in a few weeks time.

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